The present invention relates, in general, to an electric machine.
An electric machine of a type involved here includes a stator, a rotor, and a transducer system which is connected to the rotor and the stator via a torque support. Oftentimes, currents are encountered in electric machines which are induced in the rotor and cause a different electric potential between rotor and stator. Equalization of the potential takes hereby place via the ball bearing that supports the rotor. As a consequence, premature wear of the ball bearing occurs. One approach to prevent the formation of such bearing currents as caused by potential equalization involves the use of electrically insulated bearings in the electric machine. However, this merely shifts the potential equalization to the bearing unit for the transducer system, so that the bearing unit for the transducer system is ultimately destroyed prematurely.
To address this problem, it has been proposed to electrically insulate the bearing unit for the transducer system. This proposal is, however, very expensive so that its application is impractical, in particular when standard transducers are involved.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved electric machine which obviates prior art shortcomings and which is so constructed as to prevent a potential equalization between rotor and stator via the bearing unit for the transducer system.